Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1484759
W hile shoppers are building their spaces with furnishings and accessories from Round Top, Round Top continues to build on itself. Despite the cancellation of the spring show in 2020 and travel restrictions, shipping delays, and high costs that have plagued dealers and business owners, Round Top is still pulling creatives from all over the world into its magical, small-town vortex. 550 Market, the newest venue to hit Highway 237, has brought some fresh names in design to a just-created space located between the iconic Stone Cellar bar and restaurant and the circa 1907 Round Top Dance Hall. We ran into Rebecca Vizard of B. Viz Design, who is among the new vendors taking up seasonal residence in the former storage building, which has been reimagined as a modern gallery of shops. The idea of being able to shop Vizard's antique textile pillows in person each season is almost more than a girl can bear. In the crowd were familiar faces, including one that even moved some shoppers to tears. Antiques dealer Murielle Aberger of The French Influence famously sold one of her French antiques for a hefty sum of about $20,000 in the early 2000s, legitimizing Round Top as more than a glorified yard sale. After making her fortune selling antiques over the next 14 years, Aberger retired to the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin, only to have her home destroyed and looted in 2017 in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. She survived the storm but lost everything. Aberger brought a collection of antiques to The Arbors this fall as part of the relaunch of her brand. She sold out. The good vibes continued at the Big Red Barn, aka the Original Round Top Antiques Fair. The venue remains unchanged following its purchase over the summer by the Layne family, who also own Blue Hills. Longtime vendor Jeff R. Bridgman Antiques captivates shoppers with an unparalleled collection of antique American flags, political campaign banners and folk art. The Continental Tent located adjacent to the Big Red Barn stunned as usual with its incredible collections of fine European antiques, garden statuary, and piles upon piles of Fortuny fabric. The ever-expanding Blue Hills has an unrivaled assortment of antiques, vintage, new furniture, objects, rugs, fashion, jewelry, and everything in between. We bumped into designer Annie Brahler of EuroTrash, whose bold, glamorous projects are created with a foundation of vintage and antique furnishings often sourced in Round Top. Brahler's projects are regularly bejeweled with heavy, sparkling crystal chandeliers and ornate gilded furniture she alchemizes to make feel fresh and modern. At The Compound, we spied another master of making the sparkly and ornate feel current. Houston-based jewelry designer Kendra Scott was making her way through the newly expanded venue, which added two vintage farmhouses and five new dealers this season, bringing the total number of buildings on the site to eight. As we left the Fall 2022 show and the green hills of Round Top behind, we can only imagine what new additions, surprises, and stories await us all next spring. BACK ROUND TOP IS (Continued from page 22) Zoe Bonnette Doniphan Moore at Marburger Kelly DiFranco Annie Brahler of Euro Trash at Blue Hills The Arbors Ryland Powell, Anna Pardue at Big Red Barn Jennifer Roane Melanie Fitzpatrick at Blue Hills Julie Clerc at Bader Ranch Sheila Youngblood Arvin Olano at Bader Ranch Abby Albers, Naaron Degreeff at Continental Tent Marburger Tent 24